Global Filtration Systems

Envisiontec Gmbh

3dbotics, Inc.

Global Filtration Systems, a Dba of Gulf Filtration Systems Inc.

Ali El-Siblani

Alexandr Shkolnik

Hendrik John

Volker Schillen

Mohamad Janbain

Alexander Nam

Chi Zhou

Andrius Raulinaitis

James F Bredt

Kate Van Rees

A solidification substrate assembly for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material includes a solidification substrate assembly. In certain examples, the solidifiable material solidifies in contact with the solidification substrate, and the tilting of the substrate and/or or the use of a peeling member facilitates separation of the substrate from the solidified material. In other examples, the solidification substrate assembly includes a film that is adjacent to a rigid or semi-rigid layer. The solidifiable material solidifies in contact with the film, and a peeling member peels the film away from the solidified material. Intelligent solidification substrate assemblies are also described in which a force sensor determines when to expose the solidifiable material to solidification energy and/or whether to use a peeling member to separate the solidification substrate from a solidified objection section.

Resin solidification substrate and assembly

A method and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object by solidifying a solidifiable material are shown and described. A photohardening inhibitor is admitted into a surface of a photohardenable material to create a 'dead zone' where little or no solidification occurs. The dead zone prevents the exposed surface of the photohardenable material from solidifying in contact with a container bottom or film. As the solidified object areas get larger and the build platform speed increases, the dead zone increases which can cause the formation of channels in the resulting objects and delamination. A number of techniques including continuous/discontinuous mode switching, multiple illuminations of portions of the same layer, and the use of gray scaling are disclosed for regulating the size of the dead zone.

Method of making three-dimensional objects using both continuous and discontinuous solidification

A method and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object by solidifying a photohardenable material are shown and described. A photohardening inhibitor is admitted into a surface of a photohardenable material through a flexible film to create a 'non-solidification zone' where little or no solidification occurs. The non-solidification zone prevents the exposed surface of the photohardenable material from solidifying in contact with the film. The inhibitor tends to cause the film to deform along the build axis, thereby creating a non-planar interface between the photohardenable material and the film, which distorts the resulting three-dimensional object. An apparatus is provided to stabilize the flexible film and eliminate or minimize such deformation.

Method of stabilizing a photohardening inhibitor-permeable film in the manufacture of three-dimensional objects

An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. The apparatus includes a solidification substrate that is tiltable relative to a film about a tilting axis. Layers of the solidifiable material solidify in contact with a film located between the most recently solidified object layer and a solidification substrate that comprises the solidification substrate assembly. The tilting of the solidification substrate relative to the film allows the substrate to be used to squeeze excess solidifiable material from between the film and the most recently solidified object surface while minimizing or eliminating the formation of bubbles in the solidifiable material which can prolong object build times. In addition, tilting the solidification substrate before separating an adhered object surface from the film breaks any vacuum formed between the substrate and the film which reduces the forces involved in separating the object form the film.

Apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional objects using a tilting solidification substrate

A method and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object by solidifying a photohardenable material are shown and described. A photohardening inhibitor is admitted into a surface of a photohardenable material through a flexible film to create a 'dead zone' where little or no solidification occurs. The dead zone prevents the exposed surface of the photohardenable material from solidifying in contact with the film. The inhibitor causes the film to deform along the build axis, thereby creating a non-planar interface between the photohardednable material and the film. A method is provided to compensate the three-dimensional object data based on the deformation of the film.

Method of compensating for inhibitor permeable film deformation in the manufacture of three-dimensional objects

Methods and apparatuses for making three-dimensional objects from a bindable powder are shown and described. A dynamically erected and/or expanded retaining barrier is provided which is erected and/or expanded during an object building operation to retain dispensed powder.

Method and apparatus for making three-dimensional objects using a dynamically adjustable retaining barrier

An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. Either a build platform or a solidification substrate has a curved surface, and each point on the curved surface traverses a trochoidal path during an object solidification operation. The curved surface allows the separation forces between the solidification substrate and the most recently solidified layer of material to be concentrated along a line instead of along a planar section which reduces the overall separation force and the likelihood of damaging a part.

Apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional objects using a curved build platform or curved solidification substrate

Methods and apparatuses for making multiple three-dimensional objects from multiple solidifiable materials are shown and described. In accordance with the method, the objects are designed with variable removable support heights along the build axis so that each object has an interface between first and second materials that is the same height from the build platform. The technique simplifies the process of producing multiple three-dimensional objects from multiple solidifiable materials which may have different build axis heights of first and second finished object sections so that the sources of solidifiable materials need only be switched once during the building of multiple objects.

Method for concurrently making multiple three-dimensional objects from multiple solidifiable materials

An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. The apparatus includes a solidification substrate assembly that is tiltable about a tilting axis to peel a solidification substrate from a recently formed object surface and to level the solidification substrate assembly and squeeze out accumulated solidifiable material between the solidification substrate and the recently formed object surface. Intelligent peeling and leveling may also be provided by providing a tilting parameter database that is used to adjust tilting parameters based on object geometry and/or solidifiable material properties.

Method and apparatus for concurrently making multiple three-dimensional objects from multiple solidifiable materials

A process for producing at least one three-dimensional object by solidifying a solidifyable material, comprising the steps of:

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn Heights, MI, United States of America

Ali El-Siblani